Markt Schwaben

Markt Schwaben Banner

Description of banner:
Two stripes, white-red, with or without arms. The flag was approved on 4 May 1954 by Bavarian ministry of interior.
M. Schmöger, 17 May 2014
editorial note: all flags in use display however red-white in contradiction to the approval

Meaning:
I found a little article in the newspaper Ebersberger Zeitung of 19 August 2004 about the flag of my home community Markt Schwaben/county Ebersberg, which is 20 km east of Munich in Bavaria.

"Markt Schwaben - 50 years community flag.
The market town got its official heraldic colours white-red and a banner (German word "Banner" is used) in this colours, exactly 50 years ago. The community council applied the hand over (?) of the community colours with flag ("Fahne") already at the beginning of 1954 at the Bavarian ministery of the interior. State minister Wilhelm Hoegner granted it in May. Mayor Albert Jell organized a celebration for the hand over.
The colours were taken out of the main colours of the coat of armst of arms of the market town: A white falcon on a black mountain at a red field. By the way, Markt Schwaben has the oldest coat of arms-privilege, which was granted by a Bavarian duke for a community. Duke Stephan gave on 22 Feb 1409 "our dear loyal ones the market and the common citizens everyone the right, mercy and liberty" ("unserer lieben getreuen dem Markht und dem gemainlichen Burgern alle die Recht, Gnadt und Freyhait") the coat of arms of the former county/earl of Falkenstein for use. In the document is written, that the coat of arms should be used by the citizens as seal and banner ("Insiegel und Bannier")."
J. Patrick Fischer, 21 Aug 2004
Sources:
head office of Bavarian state archives
Ebersberg county archives
Stadler 1968, p.15
H. Sponholz: "Schöne Heimat Ebersberg - Der Landkreis in Bildern"; Ottenhofen 1975; p.224
I. Kö hler, I & J. Blasi: "Markt Schwaben - Ortgeschichte eingebunden in die bayerische Geschichte" ; Markt Schwaben 2002; p. 103
municipal webpageMarkt Schwaben (ed.) "Markt Markt Schwaben" - Bürgerinformationen 2002, p. 78
letter from municipality 16 August 2001
photos by M. Schmöger, 23 October 2001

The official coat of arms in the main state archive looks different from the coat of arms in use, see this webpage.
J. Patrick Fischer, 3 Dec 2005

The municipal colours were granted 4 May 1954. The text describes the flag as follows (my translation): "The flag shows two stripes of the colours White (Silver) Red. In the upper part (head) of the flag the arms of the market town may be placed, if so chosen." This of course describes a typical vertical flag as usual in Bavaria; at this time it was more common to put the arms on a white square field at the top of the flag, instead of putting it directly onto the stripes, as usually done nowadays.
"Falkenstein" is probably a misreading. The original document reads "Valkenberg", but the mistake was copied over and over, for instance in the authoritative book by Stadler [sta68]. In my files I have a copy of an undated article from a local newspaper, questioning if the bird shown is actually a falcon. The article cites a citizen, calling the drawn bird a "Suppenhendl" (soup hen), and invites better drawings. It would be interesting to have a look at the oldest seal existing (from 1444), how the bird looked like there.
It would be very interesting to get some knowledge about early uses of Markt Schwaben banners (from the description obviously an armorial banner). The expert opinion from the Hauptstaatsarchiv (Main State Archives) (23 Dec 1953) refers to the document of 1409, and concludes that the granting of the right for a municipal flag (in 1953) would be just an affirmation of the right already granted in 1409. Of course it mentions that Markt Schwaben wanted "municipal colours", i.e. a flag striped in the main colours of the arms, which is different from the original banner-of-arms. It also mentions that striped flags (in this context, of course) are of relatively recent origin (around 1800).
M. Schmöger, 28 Aug 2004

Markt Schwaben Banners reported 2005

10:3 image by J. Patrick Fischer, 3 Dec 2005

10:3 image by J. Patrick Fischer, 3 Dec 2005

I made some images. There are flags with two different coat of arms. The left banner is used at the town hall. The right banner (with shield round in base) is used by the sport center and by an hotel. The coat of arms of the right banner is used as seal by the town. You can see the falcon with white or golden tongue and pecker. There is no rule, which is correct.
By the way: Markt Schwaben is not in the district of Schwaben, it is in Upper Bavaria. The name is supposed to have its origin in some Swabians, who came to settle here.
J. Patrick Fischer, 3 Dec 2005

Markt Schwaben pre 1945 Tricolour

Some further informations from me, who is living in Markt Schwaben: The red-white illegal is the only flag in use. Even older citizens and local politicians don't know, that it is incorrect, so there will be no return to the legal flag. Anyhow. A black-white-red horizontal flag seems to be in use before 1945 as communal flag, following the colours of the coat of arms, but it was abolished, maybe because the colours were used by Nazis.
J. Patrick Fischer, 3 Dec 2005

Markt Schwaben Banners with Bannerhead

image by M. Schmöger, 17 May 2014
approved 4 May 1954
click on image in order to augment

Different vertical versions with or (rarely) without arms are in use. I have also painted the original design drawing of the flag with the arms in the banner-head (ed.note: according to approval in 1954), which is not used (any more?). However, in theory, the municipality might (and perhaps) should use a banner-of-arms, as the original grant of the arms (1409) specifically mentions the "banier", so also the State Archives in 1954 remarked that the municipality already had a flag and would not need to apply for a new one.
image by M. Schmöger, 17 May 2014
M. Schmöger, 17 May 2014